Current weather

A state Superior Court judge ruled Oct. 14 that the Department of Natural Resources cannot ignore water reservation applications filed by the Chuitna Citizens Coalition.

The coalition applied for three instream flow reservations on the Western Cook Inlet Chuitna River for fish and wildlife protection in 2009. After more than two years of inactivity on the applications, the Chuitna Citizens Coalition and environmental advocator group Cook Inletkeeper filed a joint lawsuit against DNR in November 2011.

Prolonged repairs to the M/V Tustumena have made for a challenging travel summer in the southwestern communities the state ferry typically serves.

One of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s oldest vessels, the 49-year-old Tustumena has been dry-docked at Seward Ship’s Drydock Inc. just outside of the city since last November. The ship is undergoing capital improvement repairs paid for by federal highway funds.

“We’re hopeful (the Tustumena) will be back on-line by October, that’s why we cancelled sailings through September,” AMHS spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said.

The Alaska Moose Federation, or AMF, is partnering with state agencies and private industry to implement new strategies to reduce the number of vehicle versus moose collisions.

AMF Executive Director Gary Olson said heavy snowfall last winter pushed more moose into urban environments and onto plowed roadways. That led to more than 1,000 confirmed moose collisions last winter totaling more than $35 million in damage. In one 24-hour period in early February, the federation’s moose salvage program picked up 17 dead moose.

Alaska Gasline Development Corp. CEO Dan Fauske provided figures estimating a major impact to Alaska if the proposed in-state gas pipeline is built.

“It will be the largest project in North America. It will supply 8,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs,” Fauske said Nov. 9 in a presentation to the Associated General Contractors of Alaska annual conference.